North Korea has reportedly increased nuclear production since summit, contradicting President Trump's claims

By Chris Sommerfeldt

Jun 29, 2018 | 7:45 PM

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump stand side by side before their departures after meeting at the Capella resort in Singapore on June 12. (Susan Walsh / AP)

In the wake of his historic summit with Kim Jong Un, President Trump declared North Korea was “no longer a nuclear threat” — but more than a dozen U.S. officials poked holes in that claim Friday, revealing the isolated Communist regime has actually been escalating its nuclear proliferation efforts in recent months.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity with NBC News, said a previously unreported intelligence assessment compiled by the CIA and other U.S. agencies concludes North Korea has ramped up production of fuel for nuclear weapons at several secret testing sites.

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North Korea is trying to placate the President and get as many concessions as possible from his administration while at the same holding on to the nuclear stockpiles it considers essential to its longevity as a nation, according to the officials.

A White House spokeswoman did not return a request for comment.

Shortly after his June 12 Singapore summit with Kim, Trump ordered the U.S. military to cease joint military exercises with South Korea that had been carried out for decades. Trump even called the exercises “war games” to Kim’s appreciation.

North Korean soldiers parade through Kim Il Sung Square with their missiles and rockets during a mass military parade on Oct. 10, 2015, in Pyongyang. (Wong Maye-E / AP)

The Kim regime has put an end to its aggressive missile and nuclear tests since it began engaging in diplomatic talks with the White House, and Trump has touted that as proof his administration’s approach is effective.

But one of the U.S. officials countered that, while the tests have stopped, “there’s no evidence that they are decreasing stockpiles, or that they have stopped their production.”

“There is absolutely unequivocal evidence that they are trying to deceive the U.S.,” the official said.

Upon his return from Singapore, the President touted North Korea’s “great potential.”

“Everybody can now feel much safer than the day I took office,” he tweeted. “There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea. Meeting with Kim Jong Un was an interesting and very positive experience.”